Hodgson pulls strings as Giants run riot

Bradford 6 Huddersfield 5

Huddersfield ended their slump of four defeats in style, as Brett Hodgson showed how important he remains to the club. Hodgson joins Warrington next season, but there was no sign of his mind being anywhere else as he scored one of the Giants' nine tries, set up several others and landed eight goals.

"It was Brett's best game for a long time," said his coach, Nathan Brown. "His body's healthy and his mind's clear about what he's doing next season."

Brown was realistic enough to admit that it was a good time, a week after a draining Challenge Cup quarter-final defeat, to play the Bulls. Not that Steve McNamara was accepting that as an excuse for a lethargic performance. "It was unacceptable," he said.

The Giants were ahead after five minutes, Brett Hodgson's grubber kick taking a deflection to allow Lee Gilmour to touch down, and they rarely looking back after that.

Eorl Crabtree then smuggled a lovely ball out of the tackle to Kevin Brown and Danny Brough's pass put David Hodgson in. Then it was time for Jermaine McGillvary, recalled from his loan spell at Barrow to make his debut, to show how easy Super League can be when the opposition don't turn up. He backed up Leroy Cudjoe's break for his first try at this level, then stood back and admired as Cudjoe capitalised on Brown's burst in similar fashion.

McGillvary then managed to reach another clever kick from Brett Hodgson just before the dead-ball line and Huddersfield's first-half dominance was complete. They extended their lead when Brough's towering kick was allowed to bounce and finished up, via the goal post, with Luke Robinson.

It summed up Bradford's day, just as Brett Hodgson's imperious try soon after summed up the Giants' superiority. Steve Menzies pulled one back before tries from Darrell Griffin and a second from David Hodgson completed the rout.

Bradford: Halley; Sheriffe, Platt, Nero, Reardon; Sykes, L'Estrange; Scruton, Godwin, Lynch, Whitehead, Hall, Menzies. Substitutes used: Wardle, Worrincy, Addy, Kopczak.

Huddersfield: B Hodgson; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Lawrence, D Hodgson; Brown, Brough; Crabtree, Robinson, Mason, Gilmour, Wild, Faiumu. Substitutes used: Patrick, Griffin, Fa'alogo, Lunt.

Referee: J Child (Batley).